Aircraft structure



Jan. 8, 1946. I M. WATTER 2,392,788

' AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE F iled Sept; 14, 1942 INVENTOR A TTORNE Y Patented Jan. s, 1946 AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE Michael Watter, Philadelphia, Pa assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa.','a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application March 26, 1941, Serial No.

' 385,235. Divided and this application September 14, 1942. Serial No. 458.250

g 3Claims. This invention relatesto airfoil structures and more particularlyto the means for connecting to gether airfoil structures of the skin-stressed type.-

Thls application is a division of my pending application Serial No. 385,235, filed March 26, 1941, relating to aircraft structure.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel mounting means for forming the at-- tachlng end of an airfoil structure of the skinstressed type, which is simple in its formation and which can be easily secured with the skin sheet and its supporting structure. It is another object of the present invention to provide a mounting means adaptedto be formed on an end of a skin blanket assembly which can be connected to the skin sheet and its supporting structure by the same welding operation which connects portions of the supporting structure with theskin sheet.

It is another objectof the invention to provide a mounting element which can be readily fitted within channel-shaped elements which serve for at this location so that the side portions of the mounting element may be fit flush with the walls Fig. 2 is a sectional view running spanwise of the skin blanket assembly and taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken chord-wise of the air-foil structure and along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the mount- ,ing elements.

Referring now to the Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown generally a skin blanket assembly III, in-

cludinga skin sheet II and a reinforcing or supportingstructure I! which is rigidly attached to the skin sheet. The supporting structure l2 includes a series of. channel-shaped elements It running parallel to each other and spanwise of the airfoil structure. Each of these channelshaped elements has inwardly extending side portion; It and I 5, arranged to be respectively adsupporting the skin sheet and one which can be of the channel-shaped elements. The tubular portions are of the stringer type and have radially extending flanges adapted to be disposed between adjacent side faces of the channelshaped elements for the purpose of being secured by the same welding operation that secures the side portions of the mounting element to the side portions of the channel-shaped supporting elements. The web of the channel-shaped reinforcing element: has a rib formation intermediate the side portions of the same, and the mounting elements have one of their side portions indented to receive the rib formation of the reinforcing element.

For other objects and for a betterunderstanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in c0nnec-= tion with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view looking at the inner side of a skin blanket assembly, and showing the connection of the mounting elements to the skin reinforcing structure;

jacent to one another and between which there is disposed radially extending portions I8 01 tubular or hollow reinforcing stringers l'l. Each of the side portions It and [5 has opposing seat portions I8 and I9 respectively on which is seated a rounded face 20 of the tubular stringers l'l.

are extended vertically in order, to provide gen erally for a that surface to which side portions 2; of cup-shaped mounting elements 23, can be easily welded.

These cup-shaped mounting elements 23 have two opposite side portions 22 and a connecting side portion 24 made from sheet metal stampings and folded into the desired cup-shape. Their bottoms 25 serve as the attaching face for the skin blanket assembly when once the mounting elements are rigidly secured to the skin blanket assemblies. These bottoms include a folded portion 26 and a reinforcing member 21 of thicker sheet metal. Both the portion 25 and the reinforcing member 21 have respectively openings 28 and 29 aligned with one another through which the attaching fastening bolt 30 extends. These fastening bolts at have tightening nuts 31 located within the mounting elements and are adapted to be tightened against the reinforcing plate 21. When these clamping nuts 35 are tightnel-shaped element l3. This rib 35 serves to strengthen the channel elements at a location intermediate the inwardly extending portions 14 and it. In order to make the indention 34 fit more readily over the strengthening rib 35, the strengthening rib is cut to a taper as indicated at 36 and the indentation 34 is formed accordingly to fit this tapered end formation ofthe rib 35.

In order to strengthen the skin sheet in at its attaching end and adjacent to the mounting elements, there is provided on the outer face of the skin. a reinforcing plate 31 welded to the skin H as indicated at 38.

When the mounting elements are finally nested "the skin sheet II and the reinforcing plate 31 in .a manner as indicated at 40. It will now be apparent that there has been provided an attaching end construction for airfoil structures of the skin-stressed type which is of simple construcstructure of this type, the mounting elements themselves virtually-become a part of the skin blanket structure and that stresses acting through the skin blanket assembly can be readily transmitted through the mounting elements to the adjacent structure of the aircraft through which the airfoil structure is attached.

The cup-shaped elements include a side portion 4| which is considerably more shallow than the side portions 22 and. 24, yet has strengthening portions 42 which extend into the airfoil struc-' ture for some distance. The side portion 4i so formed, provides for ready access to the clamping nuts 3|.

'While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it is to be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope ing means for the skin sheet having spaced hollow portions running spanwise with the skin sheet, alternate hollow portions being flattened adjacent the joint assembly'end of the airfoil structure to bringthe walls of the hollow por- 5 tions together to form portions normal to the skin sheet, cup-shaped joint mounting elements having respectively a bottom portion adapted to -serve as an attaching face for the structure for attachment to an adjacent joint part, and side wall portions, the hollow end portions intermediate the flattened portions overlapping the the said channel-shaped elements being arranged with their side portions adjacent to each other and extending spanwise of the skin 'sheet,'tubular stringers connected between the side portions of adjacent channel elements, said tubular stringers being flattened near the jointassembly end of the airfoil structure for attachment to an adjacent joint part, mounting elements having bottom and side portions and nested within the channelshaped elements so that their side portions are in contact with the side'portions of .the channelshaped elements and with the flattened areas of the ends of the tubular stringers, and means for securing the side portions of the mounting elements to the channel-shaped supporting -elements and to the flattened areas of the tubular stringers.

3. man airfoil structure, a skin blanket joint 0 assemblyincluding a metal skin sheet, channeishaped elements for supporting the skin sheet and having respectively web and side portions, the said channel-shaped elements arranged with their side portions adjacent to each other and extended spanwise of the -skin sheet, tubular tending connecting portions disposed between ad-' jacent side portions of the channel-shaped elements, mounting elementjsqlhaving bottom and side portions and 'neste within the channelshaped elements so-thatfljtheir side portions are in contact with the sideportions of the channelshaped elementsand with-the flattened ends of the tubular stringers, and means for securing together the side portions ofv the mounting and channel shaped elements and of the radially extending connecting portions of the tubular stringers.

MICHAEL WATTER.

and having respectively web and side portions, 

